Is Craig Robinson Replacing Steve Carell On ‘The Office’?

Last year, when Steve Carell announced his departure from The Office at the end of this season, people began to speculate who, if anyone, could replace the loveable Michael Scott – and become the man in charge of one of the most infamous work environments in television history.

It’s sounding as though Jim and Dwight might be get passed-up for the next Sabre promotion.

E! Online is now hinting that the hilarious, yet imperious, Darryl Philbin (played by Craig Robinson) will be become the new regional manager of Sabre, Scranton (formerly Dunder Mifflin).

Over the next two weeks, we’re really going to start to feel that Michael Scott is on his way out on The Office. Honestly, it’s a little unsettling, but we promise the show isn’t losing its funny just yet. The storylines are starting to nudge Michael in the direction of moving on, and a certain other staff member feeling like it may be time to move up. (And this Dunder Mifflinite’s name rhymes with Jarryl Tilbin.)

It was previously reported that the producers approached Danny McBride and Rhys Darby to join the eclectic Pennsylvanian workforce. Even original series creator Ricky Gervais was mentioned as a possible replacement. Of course, in true Gervais fashion, he quickly shot down that rumor, stating “I can’t get up that early and, as a producer, I get paid anyway.”

Looking at past episodes and noticing Darryl’s steadily increasing story-arc, it’s no surprise that he would be angling for Michael Scott’s job. After being moved up into the central office and taking on more responsibilities, Darryl has become the only sensible replacement from within the existing ranks.

Even though Darryl may replace Michael Scott on The Office, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any new additions to the cast. With Carell leaving, The Office will have a relatively large amount of money freed up to bring on some new faces, or even shell out some extra dough to bring in a comedic ringer. Something that may be sorely needed as Robinson’s character is not the extroverted clown that Michael Scott has made himself to be.

Either way, the question still remains whether a series like The Office will be able to survive with the loss of its main character – a character that allowed this series to grow into the Thursday night powerhouse that it currently is.

Like most things in television, I guess that we’ll just have to wait and see.